coop bedding- what do you prefer??

[himntnenc]

I use a very very fine sawdust and clean my chicken tractor at least 2x per week, sometimes 3. Best of both worlds!

 

[ezicash]

I use straw in the 2 nesting boxes and pine shaving outside the nesting boxes. In their run I have some straw but mostly grass and use a box with sand for their bath box. So far all is well except I need to make a new run using PVC. Any ideas?

 

[maryellen21]

We use fresh hay and bedding and DE and sweet pdz for odor control. The chicks like it

 

[eggs and chicks]

i like using pine shavings every 'bout a week we kinda sprinkle some more on there.and every month(if we have time) we clean it all out and put more in.

 

[CluckyChook]

Hey, I use straw or sugar cane straw and refresh it when the girls have 1/2 broken it down then use it as garden mulch, awesome mulch embedded with a slow release fertilizer. Flys are always annoying but only a problem if you let them, try using DE powder or Dolomite rock dust to control them, just dust it all over the floor and in the bedding. DE affects the flys, their lava and eggs and Dolomite keeps the ground sweet. It's really a trail and error thing when it comes to bedding and a whole lot of personal preference, my neighbour for example will only use wood shavings (go figure) if your chooks have lots of fresh air and not locked up tight anything really goes.
Welcome to chook addiction

 

[ezicash]

I bought a 50lb bad (food grade) DE and after reading tons and tons of website I was told that DE was bad for the chicken's respiratory system. It is like everything I thought was good for them is not. Barley now DE what next (smile)

 

[teamfluffybutt]

We use pine shavings and sweet PDZ in the coop during the winter, then mainly the sweet PDZ alone during the summer when it's hot. It scoops well with a kitty litter scoop and there's little/no smell. I like hay for the nesting boxes and put it in cardboard boxes so that I can toss the boxes and replace the hay if there's a broken egg in the nest. Our run is harder to keep clean, especially when we get a lot of rain, but I've ended up liking fallen leaves/pine needles raked up around the yard (we have lots of woods near the run). It's free, and I can rake it out and replace it easily and the girls love scratching around whenever I add new piles. My biggest problem is all the poo on top of their coop where they like to hang out during the day if they're not out free ranging--ick!

 

[LDSB]

I like dried grass shavings from my lawn even though I usually use hay.

 

[ezicash]

what is sweet pdz?

 

[ezicash]

Is screening sand ok to use?